*BSD News Article 44826


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From: taob@gate.sinica.edu.tw (Brian Tao)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Slight flame from Linux user
Date: 2 Jun 1995 08:00:26 GMT
Organization: Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica
Lines: 36
Message-ID: <3qmgeq$9n2@gate.sinica.edu.tw>
References: <3ql3gd$je2@bell.maths.tcd.ie>
NNTP-Posting-Host: @140.109.40.249
Keywords: Linux FreeBSD

In article <3ql3gd$je2@bell.maths.tcd.ie>, Timothy Murphy <tim@maths.tcd.ie> wrote:
>
>I set aside a 300MB partition,
>and started to install FreeBSD.
>Unfortunately, I wasn't sure exactly what was happening;
>and so, not wanting to lose my Linux partitions,
>I abandoned the effort.

    FreeBSD uses the concept of "disk slices", which may represent a
collection of BSD filesystems.  Last I checked, Linux filesystems are
analagous to MS-DOS partitions.  For example, on one of my systems, I
have two partitions:  one MS-DOS and one BSD.  This BSD "partition"
(or "slice") is then subdivided into your usual UNIX filesystems (I
use /, /usr, /usr/local, etc.)  FreeBSD is contained within its own
slice, so it won't "damage" other existing partitions.  You can import
a DOS partition, of course, but that's a different story.

>From my experience I would have to say
>that FreeBSD is not presently in a state
>where it could reasonably be recommended to a non-guru --
>as Linux can, in my view.

    You ain't seen the new installer in 2.0.5A.  Light years ahead of
the old 2.0R installer.  Even a die-hard Mac user would understand it
(well, once they figure out they have to use the arrow keys instead of
the mouse).  ;-)

>May I suggest that something like the Linux guides (in LaTeX)
>and the Linux HOWTO documents
>is urgently needed by, and for, FreeBSD ?

    Sure, we know that.  What we need are people to actually step
forward and take on the project, not just making suggestions.
-- 
Brian ("Though this be madness, yet there is method in't") Tao
taob@gate.sinica.edu.tw <-- work ........ play --> taob@io.org